Janice Black was in a unique position to recognize the scope of the COVID-19 crisis—and to do something about it.
The 25-year president and CEO of The Foundation for Enhancing Communities (TFEC) also has a background in healthcare and nursing. Continue reading Pandemic Pinch
Cereal, peanut butter, pasta, sauce and other essential household staples are inside the brown cardboard emergency food boxes.
But it’s innovative “outside-the-box” thinking and “extremely generous” acts of charity that are powering and placing the ingredients inside. Continue reading Hunger Pains
In the midst of today’s COVID-19 pandemic, record unemployment figures, and economic uncertainties, are there comparisons to the Depression era? Continue reading Depression Reflections
The face of a little boy is captured in Kathy Anderson-Martin’s memory. His eyes followed her, as she put milk on the table—the table holding grocery items his family was about to receive—and he started licking his lips. Continue reading Satisfying the Hunger
Michael Doub describes it as a hunger.
He has a need to know more. He wants to know the truth about a single, vital subject—the history of slavery in the United States. Continue reading Michael’s Mission
David W. Blight wrote his first book about Frederick Douglass 30 years ago and never dreamed there would be another—let alone a full biography. However, “some lives are, in a way, made for biography,” Blight said during a recent interview. Continue reading A Voice for the Ages
Eight-year old Alexi is hiding in a closet with his younger brother.
It’s a game they often play called “invisibility cloak” because, as Alexi says, “Being invisible is the best superpower.”
But the real story is that their mother locked them in the closet for their own safety. Ultimately, domestic violence drove them into homelessness. Continue reading I’ll Be Your Voice
Ben* became homeless when his Carlisle landlord kicked the family out of their rental home. As a result, the family of seven—Ben, his wife and their five children—lived out of their minivan for six months. Continue reading When a Car Becomes a Home
Anastasia Joy* calls it the skeleton in her closet.
“I didn’t tell anyone about that part of my life until the FBI got involved,” said the 25-year-old Harrisburg-area resident. Continue reading Forging a Path
The day that her husband pushed her into a wall was the day that Cherie Faus-Smith left. Continue reading Style and Substance
Loretta Claiborne didn’t walk or talk until the age of 4.
Born partially blind with intellectual disabilities in 1953, Claiborne was one of seven children raised in York by a single mother. Public school brought bullying, name-calling, anger and fighting.
The odds were against her. Sports, however, transformed her life. Continue reading Changing the Game
John Naylor started an Instagram account to document all the plastic he was pulling out of the Susquehanna River and into his canoe. Continue reading Spring Cleaning
How do you choose the food you eat? It may sound like a simple question, but how often do you truly evaluate your nutritional choices and diet? We talked to a number of Susquehanna Valley residents, including health and wellness professionals, who made significant changes by switching to vegetarian, vegan, or plant-based diets and lifestyles. Their anecdotes and results may surprise you. Continue reading Plant Powered
A white dog, dripping blood, came into the Humane Society of the Harrisburg Area as a cruelty case.
Living in a backyard, he got loose just before his scheduled surrender to the society. While on the run, he was shot in the face. Coincidentally, his name was Bullet. Continue reading Have Yourself a Monster Little Christmas
“I know I’m intelligent, but I feel very stupid,” says Melissa*, her voice shaking at times, but strong enough to tell her personal story. “I was the breadwinner, but now I have nothing.” Continue reading Stories from the Yellow House
During a 2001 leadership class at Freedom Valley Worship Center, Pastor Gerry Stoltzfoos asked participants to dream, to think about what they would be doing in their lives to minister to
others if money were no object. Brandy Crago responded with an answer—therapeutic horse riding—and Stoltzfoos quickly offered her the use of the land surrounding the church, setting her
dream into motion. Continue reading Churches on a Mission
